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Research Article
Ethiopia's Strategic Pathway to Competitiveness in the Lithium-ion Battery Value Chain: A Comprehensive Analysis and Strategic Recommendations
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 3, September 2026
Pages:
48-59
Received:
5 June 2026
Accepted:
6 July 2026
Published:
11 August 2026
Abstract: This paper examines Ethiopia’s potential to participate in the lithium-ion battery (LIB) industry, a sector that is increasingly important for decarbonizing the country’s transportation system through the adoption of electric vehicles. As Ethiopia seeks to expand electric mobility in the coming years, the development of battery-related industries will be critical to supporting this transition. To assess the country’s readiness and competitive potential, the study employs value chain analysis alongside SWOT and Porter’s Five Forces frameworks to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats across the upstream, midstream, and downstream segments of the LIB value chain. The findings highlight Ethiopia’s significant natural resource potential, particularly its lithium brine reserves in the Danakil Basin of the Afar Region, which are estimated at approximately 3 million tons with a recovery rate of about 50%. In addition to lithium, the country possesses other strategic battery minerals, including nickel and graphite, which could strengthen its position within the global battery supply chain. The analysis suggests that lithium brine extraction offers the most feasible entry point into the LIB value chain, as it requires comparatively lower infrastructure and capital investment than graphite and nickel processing. However, the study also identifies several challenges that must be addressed for Ethiopia to fully benefit from the growing LIB industry, including substantial investments in infrastructure, advanced technologies, skilled human resources, and industrial-scale production capabilities. Based on these findings, the paper proposes strategic recommendations to enhance Ethiopia’s competitiveness in the global lithium-ion battery market and provide policymakers, industry stakeholders, and investors with insights into the opportunities, constraints, and pathways for establishing a sustainable and competitive LIB value chain.
Abstract: This paper examines Ethiopia’s potential to participate in the lithium-ion battery (LIB) industry, a sector that is increasingly important for decarbonizing the country’s transportation system through the adoption of electric vehicles. As Ethiopia seeks to expand electric mobility in the coming years, the development of battery-related industries w...
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Research Article
Modelling Carbon Emissions and Associated Factors Towards Environmental Sustainability in Bangladesh
Arifur Rahman*
,
Asadujjaman Razu,
Mahbubar Rahman
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 3, September 2026
Pages:
60-75
Received:
6 July 2026
Accepted:
16 July 2026
Published:
18 August 2026
Abstract: Understanding the underlying drivers of carbon emissions is critical for designing effective climate mitigation policies in highly vulnerable emerging economies. This study investigates the long-run and dynamic impacts of economic growth, fossil fuel energy consumption, population dynamics, and forest area on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in Bangladesh from 1990 to 2022. Utilizing advanced time-series econometric techniques—including Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds testing, Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS), Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS), Canonical Cointegration Regression (CCR), and pairwise Granger causality tests—the analysis confirms a stable long-run cointegrating relationship among the variables. The empirical findings reveal that economic expansion and fossil fuel energy consumption significantly increase CO2 emissions, yielding long-run elasticities of 0.58 and 1.58, respectively. Conversely, forest area exerts a substantial moderating effect; a 1% increase in forest cover reduces carbon emissions by approximately 8.65%, underscoring the critical role of forest ecosystems as vital carbon sinks. While population growth exhibits a statistically significant direct impact in the long-run model, it influences emissions indirectly by driving energy demand and economic activity. These results highlight the urgency of an integrated policy framework that simultaneously promotes sustainable growth paths, accelerates the clean energy transition, and strengthens forest conservation strategies.
Abstract: Understanding the underlying drivers of carbon emissions is critical for designing effective climate mitigation policies in highly vulnerable emerging economies. This study investigates the long-run and dynamic impacts of economic growth, fossil fuel energy consumption, population dynamics, and forest area on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in Bangl...
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Research Article
Determinants of Smallholder Farmers’ Adoption of
Agro-Ecological Practices in Kersa and Mana Districts of Jimma Zone, Ethiopia
Saba Desta*,
Yadeta Bekele,
Urji Argeta,
Rorisa Endale,
Fikadu Mitiku
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 3, September 2026
Pages:
76-86
Received:
23 July 2026
Accepted:
4 August 2026
Published:
20 August 2026
Abstract: In order to achieve sustainable development, Ethiopian smallholder farmers are progressively implementing agro-ecological practices (AEPs); however, adoption remains uneven and restricted. To evaluate current AEP usage, identify its determinants, and analyze related constraints, this study was carried out in the Kersa and Mana districts of the Jimma Zone, using primary data from 200 households selected through multi-stage sampling, along with key informant interviews and focus group discussions, analyzed through descriptive statistics, a Multivariate Probit (MVP) model, and Kendall's coefficient of concordance. Descriptive results revealed adoption probabilities of 65% for agroforestry, 81% for crop rotation, 52% for mulching, 74% for intercropping, and 73% for composting, while the MVP model showed that education, age, livestock ownership, land area, input accessibility, and extension services positively influenced adoption, whereas sex, market accessibility, farming experience, and membership in farmer groups had a negative effect. Kendall's coefficient of concordance further identified high input costs as the most significant barrier to adoption, followed by other constraints. Based on these findings, enhancing farmer training programs, improving access to land and livestock resources, and reducing input costs through subsidies or financial aid emerge as key strategies through which governments can promote the adoption of agro-ecological practices and address the limitations identified.
Abstract: In order to achieve sustainable development, Ethiopian smallholder farmers are progressively implementing agro-ecological practices (AEPs); however, adoption remains uneven and restricted. To evaluate current AEP usage, identify its determinants, and analyze related constraints, this study was carried out in the Kersa and Mana districts of the Jimm...
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Review Article
Menace of Mining Politics in Nigeria: Governance, Conflict, Resource Control, and the Challenge of Sustainable Mineral Development
Johnson Kayode Ayeni*
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 3, September 2026
Pages:
87-96
Received:
24 August 2026
Accepted:
4 September 2026
Published:
30 September 2026
Abstract: Nigeria possesses substantial deposits of gold, tin, columbite, tantalite, iron ore, lead-zinc, limestone, barite, lithium, coal, and other solid minerals. Despite this resource endowment, the mining sector has made only a limited contribution to national development. This article examines the political dimensions of mining governance in Nigeria and argues that the sector’s underperformance is not primarily a consequence of geological uncertainty or a lack of mineral potential. Rather, it reflects the interaction of political patronage, institutional fragmentation, corruption, weak regulatory enforcement, insecure tenure, illegal mining, environmental degradation, and unresolved questions of resource control. The analysis situates contemporary mining politics within Nigeria’s historical shift from a relatively active colonial mining economy to post-independence state control and, later, market-oriented reform. It further examines how the allocation and administration of mineral titles, the federal structure of mineral ownership, the marginalization of host communities, and the growth of artisanal and illegal mining have shaped sectoral outcomes. The article adopts a qualitative political-economy approach based on documentary analysis of Nigerian legislation, institutional reports, policy documents, and secondary literature. It finds that the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act 2007 provides an important legal foundation, including provisions relating to mineral titles, environmental responsibilities, and community development; however, implementation remains constrained by limited institutional capacity, overlapping mandates, insufficient transparency, and weak accountability. Illegal mining should therefore not be treated only as a law-enforcement problem. It is also a governance problem rooted in poverty, limited livelihood alternatives, inaccessible formalization pathways, elite protection, transborder mineral flows, and inadequate state presence in mining communities. The article recommends a governance reform agenda centered on transparent licensing, strengthened institutional autonomy, formalization of artisanal and small-scale mining, improved revenue administration, environmental accountability, community participation, conflict-sensitive security, and public disclosure of mining data. Sustainable mining in Nigeria requires not merely more extraction but a political settlement that connects mineral development to public accountability, local livelihoods, environmental protection, and inclusive national development.
Abstract: Nigeria possesses substantial deposits of gold, tin, columbite, tantalite, iron ore, lead-zinc, limestone, barite, lithium, coal, and other solid minerals. Despite this resource endowment, the mining sector has made only a limited contribution to national development. This article examines the political dimensions of mining governance in Nigeria an...
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